Another World (TV series)
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| Another World | |
|---|---|
 This Another World logo was seen from 1996 to 1999. |
|
| Genre | soap opera |
| Running time | approx. 0:30 (1964-1975) 0:60 (1975-1979, 1980-1999) 0:90 (1979-1980) (per episode) |
| Creator(s) | Irna Phillips, William J. Bell |
| Starring | Victoria Wyndham Douglass Watson Constance Ford Irene Dailey Beverlee McKinsey Jacqueline Courtney George Reinholt Linda Dano, et al |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | May 4, 1964–June 25, 1999 |
| No. of episodes | 8891 |
| IMDb profile | |
Another World (AW) (sometimes called Another World: Bay City to distinguish it from its spinoffs in the 1970s and 1980s) was a Daytime Emmy-winning American soap opera which ran on the NBC television network from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It was co-created by Irna Phillips and William J. Bell.
There were 8891 episodes of Another World produced. AW spawned multiple soap spin-offs: Somerset (1970-1976), For Richer, For Poorer (1977-1978), and Texas (1980-1982). A one-time primetime special was also aired in 1992, entitled Another World: Summer Desire. AW was produced by Procter & Gamble Productions, which produced the majority of the American soap operas in the 1950s and 1960s. It was produced at the NBC studios in the Midwood area of Brooklyn for the entirety of its run (The Cosby Show was also produced there and it is currently the home of As the World Turns).
In the beginning, the show was pure coffee-table high melodrama revolving around two branches of the Matthews family in a midwestern town called Bay City, a goal that was attained by veteran soap writer and creator Irna Phillips. By comparison, Another World focused on more melodramatic situations than Phillips' most popular soap As the World Turns, which was more ordinary and even mundane.
When Phillips created the show, she saw it as a sister program to her other creation, As the World Turns, and that there would be crossover storylines and characters between the two programs; even the title of Another World suggested similarity to ATWT. However, none of the other soaps on CBS, on which ATWT aired, were in danger of cancellation, and AW was picked up by NBC. After that, Phillips saw no reason to link up the two programs (interestingly, during its last twenty years on the air, Another World and As the World Turns competed in the 2:00 daily timeslot).
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis: Storylines and behind-the-scenes
See also:A story timeline of Another World
[edit] The '60s
The first episode was a funeral: wealthy William Matthews had died. His widow Liz (most notably played by Audra Lindley and later Irene Dailey) did not like his working-class brother Jim (John Beal, Shepherd Strudwick, Hugh Marlowe) or his family. The fights between upper class Liz and her middle class in-laws started the show. As the '60s went on, the lives and loves of Jim's children (Russ, Alice, and Pat) took center-stage. Jim's wife, Mary (Virginia Dwyer), usually intervened when there was a crisis, which was most of the time.
In the first year, the show had a controversial storyline involving teenager Pat Matthews having an illegal abortion after falling pregnant to her boyfriend. This was the first time that a daytime soap opera had covered the subject, which is still considered taboo on American daytime television. In the story, the abortion made her sterile, and the shock from the news caused her to find her ex-boyfriend and shoot him in cold blood. Pat was eventually brought to trial and acquitted. She then fell in love and married her lawyer, John Randolph (Michael M. Ryan).
In 1967, the show's ratings became stagnant. Agnes Nixon was hired as head writer, and her first job was to either kill off "dead wood" in the cast, or have new actors replace key characters (most notably, Beverly Penberthy replaced Susan Trustman in the role of Pat Matthews Randolph). Nixon created the roles of Ada Lucas (Constance Ford) and her daughter Rachel Davis (Robin Strasser), which were immediate successes. Rachel was a schemer who grew up in a lower-class background, and fought for what she wanted, even if it meant she had to resort to underhanded means. Her mother Ada was much more honest and down-to-earth, and provided a good foil for Rachel, as Ada was the only person Rachel really loved, besides herself.
The next year, businessman Steve Frame (George Reinholt) was introduced. A shrewd businessman, he grew up in a poor background and earned everything he worked for. He and Rachel immediately bonded over their respective pasts, but he also became involved with Alice Matthews (Jacqueline Courtney), who was more sophisticated, shy, and demure, something he really looked for in a wife. They courted and were to marry in 1969, but the marriage was called off when Rachel, with whom Steve was sexually involved, crashed the engagement party with the news that she was carrying Steve's child. She gave birth to a son, James (later referred to as Jamie), in November.
[edit] The '70s
[edit] Steve, Alice, and Rachel
The show's popularity shot up, thanks to a love triangle revolving around Steve, Alice, and Rachel.
As 1970 began, Alice had a breakdown and went to live in France. Steve and Rachel bonded yet again, this time over their child, but Alice eventually returned and she married Steve the next year. It was around this time that sponsor Procter & Gamble hired a newcomer, playwright Harding Lemay, to write the program. Lemay used his training in Broadway to recruit Broadway actors to play roles on the series, and his screenplays took the form of tragic plays, as they were carried out in five dramatic acts. It is Lemay's tenure, which lasted the whole of the 1970s, that soap opera publications such as Soap Opera Digest call Another World's "golden age." As the show rose higher in the ratings, NBC brass wished to expand the show to an hour; the first regularly scheduled hour-long episode was telecast on January 6, 1975.
Thoroughly convinced that her child would be instrumental in breaking up the new Frame marriage and snagging her Steve once and for all, she enlisted the help of her drifter father, who tricked Alice into finding Steve and Rachel in a compromising position. She filed for divorce and again left town. Fed up with Alice's wavering ways, and already feeling an attachment to Rachel and a duty to have more of a role in his son's life, Steve married Rachel (now played by Victoria Wyndham, who took over for Strasser). When Alice returned from Europe for a second time, she exposed Rachel and her father's scheme, which accidentally sent Steve to prison as an accomplice to embezzlement. When he was released, Steve reunited with Alice; although she had sent him away, he was too alienated against Rachel to rekindle any feeling.
As Steve and Alice were finally allowed to be together (they were married for the second time on the tenth-anniversary telecast), Rachel continued to scheme, even trying to evict Alice from the house Steve had given to her; Rachel tried to say that Steve had given her the house. After Alice had another mental breakdown, and Steve sided with Alice, Rachel decided to reform herself.
Rachel tried her best to stay away from the couple, and even found love with an older, wise magazine editor, Mackenzie "Mac" Cory (Douglass Watson). This was in tune with Wyndham's wish that Rachel be played with more facets to her character — for many years, her character was totally "black" in personality, compared to "white", good Alice. Both Lemay and Wyndham, who were at the time new to the series, wanted to change the character of Rachel as she was so blindly hated by many fans, who wrote to the NBC studios wishing that she be killed off.
[edit] Mac, Rachel, and Iris
Originally, Mac and Rachel were not planned to have a romantic coupling. Writer Harding Lemay noticed the chemistry between actors Douglass Watson and Victoria Wyndham, and wrote a slow-developing love story for them. Fearing backlash from viewers who may have found an older man-younger woman relationship tasteless, Lemay penned chance encounters for the two characters, which led to innocent yet intimate conversations. By the time the characters had their first kiss, the story had gone on for six months. Continuing on the slow path, Mac and Rachel's relationship blossomed until they were wed.
Mac and Rachel were married by a justice of the peace in the Cory mansion on Valentine's Day 1975. The drama produced by Mac and Rachel's marriage and Mac's daughter's insane jealousy (Mac's daughter, Iris, was portrayed at this time by Beverlee McKinsey) fueled the storylines for most of the late 1970s. Iris, who was sheltered and wanted to be the only woman in her father's life, resented Rachel, who was her same age. Iris's schemes to drive Rachel away from Mac often backfired, and drove a wedge between father and daughter, instead of bringing them together. The presence of the Cory maid, Louise (Anne Meacham), proved for sometimes comedic relief in an otherwise dramatic storyline. Other times, Louise served as a stern confidante and a sometime voice of reason for Mac during fights with either Rachel or Iris.
[edit] The Matthewses and the Randolphs
Steve was presumed dead in 1975 when his helicopter supposedly crashed in Australia. Alice became a backburner character for the first time in 11 years, in tune with Lemay's wish that Jacqueline Courtney leave the show. She was replaced by actress Susan Harney. Over time, Alice became a registered nurse, and cared for her adopted daughter, Sally (first played by Cathy Greene). While Alice's story finally calmed down, her siblings' stories expanded. Her sister Pat Randolph experienced marital problems with her husband John. He ended up divorcing Pat and marrying the maniacal Olive (Jennifer Leak).
The ratings for Another World had declined since its final peak at #1 in 1978. To keep the spot, executive producer Paul Rauch pitched the idea to NBC to make the show longer. Although not at its peak, the show was still the most successful soap in NBC's lineup, so they agreed. Lemay (with the help of Tom King), penned a special effects-laden storyline involving the fiery death of Michael M. Ryan's character John Randolph, who had appeared on the show since 1964. The storyline was kept secret from the press.
[edit] The 90 minute experiment/Iris's move to Texas
John's death on March 6, 1979, as he was saving his former sister-in law Alice from a burning building, coincided with the move to 90-minute episodes each weekday. It was at that time that Lemay, who had written since 1971, decided to hand over his duties to Tom King, citing overwork. While the ratings got a slight boost, most viewers did not like the change to longer episodes; the new time format allowed the writers to introduce many new characters, most of whom did not catch on with the audience. Beverlee McKinsey got her own spinoff series, Texas, in 1980, and to accommodate her new series, Another World went back to 60 minutes, and was moved from the three o'clock hour to two o'clock. Another two million viewers defected, partly due to McKinsey's departure, partly due to the new time change, and partly due to new characters "taking over" the show (see next paragraph). Because of the audience erosion, the move to 90-minute installments is generally regarded as a failure.
In the final months of the 90 minute experiment, many characters debuted on Another World and interacted with Iris, as she planned to move to Houston, Texas (and to her own series, Texas). In addition to the characters introduced solely to Another World who did not catch on, Another World viewers also saw characters for fleeting moments who were going to be moved to Texas in the long-term anyway. The viewers who defected from Another World either followed McKinsey to Texas, or tuned out entirely due to confusion, as their favorite characters were being showcased less to make room for the short-term Texas storyline.
[edit] The '80s
[edit] Mac, Rachel, Janice, and Mitch
Mac and Rachel had their own marital troubles, mostly regarding Rachel's decision to work full-time as a sculptress. Rachel did not want to pursue a career at first, thinking she could simply live off Mac's earnings as a publisher, but Mac encouraged her to find work in a field that interested her. When she found that she was very good at sculpting, it took up more and more of her time, even after giving birth to their daughter, Amanda, in 1978. After Rachel falsely accused Mac of infidelity (Mac was unfaithful years before, but this time he wasn't), Mac became involved with his secretary, Janice Frame (Christine Jones), and in 1979, Rachel asked for a divorce. To crack a scheme that Rachel suspected Janice was spearheading, Rachel slept with photographer Mitch Blake (William Gray Espy). The long-running Mac/Rachel/Janice/Mitch storyline carried on for a year until it culminated in a fight scene taped on location in St. Croix, in which Janice Frame's plan to kill Mac and acquire his estate was found out by Rachel. After a scuffle involving a knife, the two women fell into a swimming pool, and Rachel came out alive, having killed Janice.
Mac and Rachel were married again, but Rachel was saddened to find that she was pregnant — with Mitch's child. She was prepared to keep the secret until Mitch was "murdered." Rachel was forced to admit on the stand that the child (Matthew) in question was Mitch's. She was then sentenced to eight years in prison for Mitch's murder, and Mac started divorce proceedings, all the while believing that something wasn't right. Following his intuition, he tracked down Mitch, who was alive and didn't remember any events surrounding his supposed death.
In the end, Mac freed Rachel from prison and even dropped the divorce, but he was always jealous of Mitch; by this time he had returned to Bay City to be closer to his son. In the end, it could not be worked out and Mac and Rachel divorced a second time. Steve Frame came back from Australia, complete with daughter Diana (played by Anne Rose Brooks) in 1981 (it was revealed that he did not die in 1975; he also received a new look, thanks to David Canary taking over the role). Steve and Rachel reminisced about their old love affair and even planned a wedding, after Rachel nearly lost Steve after a column pinned him to the ground inside a building slated for demolition. On their wedding day in February 1983, a car accident claimed Steve's life — for good. Rachel survived, and Mac told Rachel how much he loved her. A double wedding was planned in the summer of 1983, with Mac's son Sandy (Christopher Rich) and his fiancée Blaine Ewing (Laura Malone).
[edit] A new "Another World"
Stories of the 1980s revolved around popular characters such as romance novelist Felicia Gallant (Linda Dano); debonair attorney Cass Winthrop (Stephen Schnetzer); Cecile DePoulignac (Nancy Frangione), the schemer who just wanted to be loved; the true object of Cass's affections, Kathleen McKinnon (Julie Osburn); and Wallingford (Brent Collins).
As the show went through the 1980s, the Love family became more prominent, at the expense of the core Matthews family. In 1982, Beverly Penberthy was written out of the show, effectively severing the few ties to the original family that were left on the program.
The Love family was headed by tyrannical patriarch Reginald (John Considine), he had either allied with or alienated all of his children. His daughter Donna (Anna Stuart) ended up marrying the love of her life in stable boy-turned-businessman Michael Hudson (Kale Browne). However, the fact that she had a fling years ago with Michael's brother John (David Forsyth) complicated matters for years. Donna had twins, Marley and Victoria (first played by Ellen Wheeler and later by Anne Heche), who ended up reunited after many years apart. Victoria's adoptive mother, Bridget Connell (Barbara Berjer) ended up moving in with the Hudsons and took care of the family until her character died.
[edit] Romance hits and misses
Love stories of the 1980s included Felicia's storybook wedding to Mitch Blake (who came back to town), and the unlikely pairing of John Hudson with Sharlene Frame (at this time, the role was played by Anna Kathryn Holbrook). Also, the triangle of Vicky Hudson trying, and succeeding, to steal Rachel's son Jamie Frame (at this time, the role was played by Laurence Lau) from Felicia's niece Lisa Grady (Joanna Going) interested many viewers.
One aborted love story was the impending marriage between M.J. McKinnon (Sally Spencer) and Adam Cory (Ed Fry). After a videotaped surfaced, showing M.J. in her prostitute days, having sex with a client, Adam dumped her, and she left town. M.J.'s old flame, and her former pimp, Chad Rollo (Richard Burgi) sent the tape to Adam in the hopes of a renewed romance with M.J.; it did not work.
[edit] Mac's death
In the late 1980s, Mac and Rachel's children came back as young adults (Amanda recast in the form of Sandra Ferguson and Matt Crane in the role of Matthew). Amanda was married to Sam Fowler (Robert Kelker-Kelly), a budding artist, and Matthew started a relationship with Sharlene Frame's daughter Josie Watts (at that time the role was played by Alexandra Wilson). While these characters proved to be fan favorites, the importance of the Cory family on the show was shaken when Douglass Watson unexpectedly died while on vacation in Maine in the spring of 1989. With a heavy heart, Rachel and her family buried Mac on the June 16, 1989 episode. With Watson's passing, the show was left without a unifying center, as for the next few years, the character of Rachel tried to adjust to life without Mac, and sometimes stumbled on her way. Although actress Victoria Wyndham tried to fill the void left by Watson's lack of presence, she ended up passing the central role of the show to Jensen Buchanan, who, by the early 1990s, had taken over for Anne Heche as Vicky Hudson.
Mac's daughter Iris was devastated when she heard the news. She had returned to town late in 1988 (Australian Carmen Duncan had taken over the role) and hadn't formally reconciled with her father before his passing. During this shaky time, Rachel found that she needed to rely on her mother Ada more than ever.
[edit] The '90s
[edit] The age of AW's supercouples
As the show moved into the 1990s, Felicia and Mitch got a divorce due to both of them straying from their marriage vows. Felicia found the love of her life in the form of Lucas Castigliano (John Aprea), who hunted her down in an attempt to find the daughter she gave up for adoption. He ended up finding his daughter and bringing her to town, but in true soap opera fashion, the reveal didn't come out until a very big gala.
Felicia and the woman in question, Lorna Devon (Alicia Coppola) had become enemies fast, especially after Lorna went behind the scenes at Felicia's talk show and switched live footage with a videotape of a pornographic video Felicia's adoptive daughter Jenna Norris (Alla Korot) had unwittingly made. Felicia and Lorna ended up repairing their relationship, especially after Lucas's death.
Jenna found true love with rocker Dean Frame (Ricky Paull Goldin); their happiness, and Dean's success as a rock star, was chronicled in the nighttime special Summer Desire. After Kathleen was pronounced dead in a plane crash, Cass grew close to Reginald Love's daughter Nicole (by now, she was played by Anne Howard). When Nicole Love was institutionalized for the murder of Jason Frame ( Chris Robinson), Cass slowly became attracted to Frankie Frame (Alice Barrett), who came to town to investigate her uncle's murder. After many hindrances (including Kathleen arriving in town; she was really whisked off because she was in the Witness Protection Program), Cass and Frankie were finally wed. They honeymooned on the Orient Express, which was the backdrop of a 1920s-themed special episode, in which Cass was trapped on the legendary train with all the women he had ever loved.
Jake McKinnon (Tom Eplin) came back to town for good in 1988, with his wife Marley Hudson. Their marriage broke down and the two were forced to get a divorce. After a reconciliation two years later, Jake asked Marley to marry him again. However, she had found out that he was in the midst of an affair with Paulina Cory (Cali Timmins, but by 1991, the role had gone to Judi Evans Luciano). Marley turned down his proposal, and Jake raped her. Then, Jake was shot and near death, and Marley was forced to go on trial for his attempted murder. In the end, it was proven that Paulina shot him. Jake and Marley were officially over, but it was just beginning for Jake and Paulina. Over the next five years, Jake and Paulina were married and divorced twice. While they still had a good partnership, Paulina was fed up with Jake's cons, swindles, and lies, and tied the knot with Joe Carlino (Joseph Barbara).
Amanda saw two marriages crash and burn. The first, to Sam, didn't work out due to Amanda's affair with Evan Frame; the second, to Grant Harrison (Mark Pinter) due to Grant's infidelity with Lorna Devon (by this time Lorna was played by Robin Christopher and Amanda was played by Christine Tucci). Matthew had developed a May-December romance with Donna Love, who had been very grateful that Matt helped get her savings back. Matt and Donna became a very popular couple and were broken up due to then-executive producer Jill Farren Phelps's insistence that Matt be paired up with someone his own age, and Donna likewise.
Rachel found love (and a new marriage) with reformed villain Carl Hutchins (Charles Keating). Rachel's mother, Ada, died in the summer of 1993 and she needed support more than ever; she found it in the unlikeliest source. Mac's daughter Iris didn't like this news one bit, and was prepared to startle the wedding crowd by firing blanks at Carl. Evan Frame (who had returned to town after a four-year absence) placed bullets into Iris's gun, causing Iris to gravely wound Carl. She was convicted of the crime and sentenced to prison time, and she was never heard from again.
[edit] The final years
The show was renewed in 1993 (Santa Barbara was given the axe instead) but the ratings still weren't good. The odds weren't in the show's favor that it would be renewed again in 1999. Early in 1995, news at the top signaled a change in executive producer. Jill Farren Phelps, who had won Emmy awards for her work on Santa Barbara, was given the job. Veteran cast members were fired; both cast members over the age of 55 (Barbara Berjer and David Hedison) had their contracts terminated, in an attempt to move the show in a more youthful direction. Show matriarch Rachel Cory Hutchins was placed in a storyline involving an evil countess, Justine Duvalier, who was a former lover of Hedison's recently-axed character, Spencer Harrison. The Justine storyline was panned by periodical Soap Opera Digest as being worthy of a Mystery Science Theater 3000 level of ridicule. While in a scuffle, Grant Harrison killed his brother Ryan (played by fan favorite Paul Michael Valley), causing Justine to be shoved in front of a train. Justine did not die, and she caused more terror before finally being finished by Carl Hutchins and his letter opener. Actress Victoria Wyndham was quoted as liking the storyline at first, but after it was played out, she stated that she wished she had never appeared in it.
Budget cuts caused Phelps to institute a serial killer storyline, culminating in the gruesome murder of another fan favorite, Frankie (Alice Barrett). The story had actually called for Donna (Anna Stuart) to be offed, but massive fan protest caused Phelps to rewrite the episodes. Phelps decided to then kill off either Frankie or Paulina, and when a focus group responded lukewarm to Frankie but warmer to Paulina, Phelps gave the greenlight to axe Frankie (despite the fact that Frankie had not been written for in a while, so it's only natural that any focus group would respond more to a character more heavily featured). However, this caused another massive rampage of upset protest from loyal viewers of the show and fans of Frankie, and Phelps quickly asked then-head writer Margaret DePriest to re-write Frankie's exit so that the character would at least still live. DePriest, eager to satisfy her wish to see Cass return to his former rogue ways, vehemently refused and left Frankie's death as written. The day of Frankie's death is known among fans as "Black Tuesday", and many fans stopped watching the show after her cruel, senseless murder.
Rachel gave birth to twins, even though she was well into her fifties. Although the believability of this story was debated by fans, it was a nod back to when her mother, Ada, gave birth to Rachel's sister Nancy late in life. Robert Kelker-Kelly was lured back to the show in a different role from Sam Fowler, in which Vicky falls for the man who was given Ryan's corneas in a transplant. The storyline became convoluted as the man's mystery identity was rewritten and his former wife came to town to reclaim him. Lila Roberts (Lisa Peluso) ended up bedding Matthew Cory and having his baby before falling in love with Cass. Cass and Lila were engaged, and got married in the final episode of the show; they were the last couple to wed in Bay City.
[edit] AW after the final episode
In 1999, NBC decided not to renew Another World but keep young sudser Sunset Beach, only to cancel that one six months later. Many reasons abounded for Another World's cancellation, one of the more notable events occurring in the summer of 1998; the then-San Francisco NBC affiliate KRON, one of the highest-rated in the nation, dropped the show off its schedule altogether, knocking it out of two million homes. Rumors abounded that Days of Our Lives might be the soap opera dropped, as renewal talks between NBC and Columbia Pictures Television were going poorly at the time. At the eleventh hour, Days of Our Lives was renewed and it was the fate of Another World that was sealed. Its final episode aired the last full week in June.
After a series of 35th anniversary episodes, Rachel reminisced with Carl, remarked, "All's well that ends well," and the show ended with a shot of Mac Cory's picture.
Ironically, Irna Phillips' original plan of crossovers with As The World Turns was finally realized -- after Another World was cancelled. AW characters Lila (Lisa Peluso), Cass (Stephen Schnetzer), Vicky (Jensen Buchanan), Donna (Anna Stuart), and Jake (Tom Eplin) all moved into ATWT storylines. By 2002, Vicky and Jake had been killed off violently, and the crossover experiment had, for the most part, ended. Schnetzer continues to make occasional appearances, as his character of Cass is used as a "visiting lawyer" in ATWT trials.
The show was commemorated in print twice in 1999. Another World, the 35th Anniversary Celebration, by Julie Poll, was a coffee-table style book chronicling the show's history on- and off-screen. AW was the last of all the long-running soap opera programs of the time to be preserved in this way. The other book was decidedly different; The Ultimate Another World Trivia Book, by Gerard J. Waggett, listed several juicy tidbits about the show's stars and what happened behind-the-scenes. Many fans have treated Poll's book as they would a high school yearbook, getting AW actors to sign their autographs in the book along with messages of appreciation or thanks for the fans' continued support in watching the program.
In July 2003, SOAPnet, an American satellite channel, started rerunning old AW episodes from July 1987. The Another World Reunion aired on the channel on October 24, 2003. Hosted by Linda Dano, the special program reunited fan favorites such as Stephen Schnetzer, Sandra Ferguson, John Aprea, Alicia Coppola, Kale Browne, and Ellen Wheeler. On the special, Dano interviewed the members of the assembled cast, one by one, interspersed with classic AW clips. Before and after commercial breaks, Another World quiz questions were posed to the audience at home, and audience members told the viewers at home their favorite AW moments, supplemented with clips from the actual episodes (for example, one viewer said her favorite AW moment was from 1980, in which Rachel, on the stand for Mitch's murder, was forced to tell Mac that Matthew was not his child. Another viewer cited Ryan marrying Vicky while in Heaven). This special was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Special in 2004.
Currently, SOAPnet is airing AW episodes from early 1991. The "Who shot Jake" episodes are appearing right now.
In 2006, Procter & Gamble began making several of it's soaps available, a few episodes at a time, through America Online's AOL Video service, downloadable free of charge. Reruns of older Another World episodes began from the summer of 1980.
[edit] What made AW unique
Main article: Unique qualities of Another World
While AW touched on important topics like the ones described in the article linked below, the show, for the most part, was never plot-driven. Unlike other popular soaps of the day, like Days of Our Lives and General Hospital, AW was written with characters as the primary focus, and not situations. This formula was maintained until the final years of the show when a switch to plot-driven stories, dictated by then-executive producer Jill Farren Phelps, failed.
AW was the first in many aspects as well: it was the first soap opera to talk about abortion in 1964 when such subjects were taboo. It was the first soap opera to do a crossover with the character of Mike Bauer ("Guiding Light") coming from Springfield to Bay City. It was the first to go to one hour and then to 90 minutes and then back to an hour. It was the first soap to launch two spinoffs ("Somerset" and "Texas") as well as an indirect one ("Lovers and Friends", which would be re-named "For Richer For Poorer").
AW was also the first soap opera with a theme song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 ("(You Take Me Away To) Another World" by Crystal Gayle and Gary Morris, in 1987).
[edit] Ratings history
For most of a 15-year period between 1965 and 1980, Another World was NBC's highest-rated soap. During the 1970s, NBC had the soap block of Days of Our Lives, The Doctors and Another World, all of which enjoyed great ratings and critical success before declining at the end of the decade. During the 1980s, NBC had the afternoon soap block of Days of Our Lives, Another World, and Santa Barbara, which somewhat improved its fortunes before declining again. Half hour soaps The Doctors, Search For Tomorrow, and Generations were all cancelled.
[edit] The 1960s
Another World did not take long to establish itself as NBC's highest-rating daytime drama, although it was still behind the then-dominant CBS lineup which would usually occupy the first six places on the ratings chart. By 1967-68, however, AW would rise to second place and would continue to occupy the upper end of the ratings chart until 1978.
[edit] The 1970s
With the arrival of Harding Lemay, Another World would consolidate its place as not only the most popular and critically-acclaimed soap on NBC, but one of the highest rated soaps of the decade. Between 1973 and 1978, it was in a consistent second place in the ratings chart and tied with As The World Turns for first place twice- in 1973-74 and 1977-78. When the one-hour 10th Anniversary special in spring 1974 proved a massive ratings success, NBC and P&G made the decision to expand to 60 minutes permanently on January 6, 1975, replacing the original version of the game show "Jeopardy", in a scheduling shuffle.
However, starting in 1978, Another World began to experience an erosion in ratings caused partially by the surge in popularity of General Hospital. Another World fell from equal 1st place in 1978 to 8th in 1979 (a drop from 8.6 to 7.5), but remained NBC's highest-rated soap. Despite the fall in ratings, Another World became the first and thus far, only, soap to expand to 90 minutes, a move that proved unsuccessful--it remained in 8th place in 1979-80.
[edit] The expansion to 90 minutes and its impact on ratings
Although it is widely thought that Another World's expansion to 90 minutes was a cause of ratings erosion, the decision to expand the show was made at a time when its ratings (and that of NBC's other soaps) was already in steady decline. It should be noted that even during the period when Another World was a 90-minute show, it remained NBC's highest-rated soap as it had been for virtually all of the 1970s. In the second half of 1980, after the show returned to 60 minutes, Another World and fellow NBC soaps Days of Our Lives and The Doctors experienced a collapse in ratings- from which NBC's daytime soap lineup never fully recovered.
In truth, there were other significant factors in Another World's ratings decline: the rise of ABC's daytime lineup, and changes to NBC's own daytime lineup which occurred during 1980. These included the introduction of AW spin-off Texas (which resulted in AW losing the popular Beverlee McKinsey) and moving The Doctors to a new timeslot. These factors, plus what some believed to be a creative crisis and significant cast changes at Days of Our Lives that year, adversely affected the standing of NBC's daytime lineup for some time. It would not be until 1984 that both Days and AW would recover some of their lost ground.
[edit] The 1980s
The launch of the spin-off Texas in 1980 starring the hugely popular Beverlee McKinsey, while itself not a success, caused further erosion of AW's viewership to the point it was no longer NBC's highest-rated soap, losing that position to Days of Our Lives (which itself, along with the rest of NBC's daytime soap lineup, was in ratings trouble). It fell from 8th to as low as 11th in the ratings chart, and by 1981-82 it was as low as 4.7 (a drop of 3.9 points in 4 seasons).
After five years of sharply declining ratings, Another World experienced a mini-revival and for the 1983-84 season the show jumped to 9th place and 5.6 (compared with 10th place and 4.8 in 1982-83). It remained in 9th place through the decade (occasionally moving up to 8th), pulling in generally stable numbers.
[edit] The 1990s
In common with other daytime soaps, Another World experienced a gradual erosion of viewership but held on to 9th place on the ratings chart until the end of its run. While it never showed signs of moving up through this period, it was for most part never in danger of falling to last place.
[edit] A technical history
Information on the technical history can be found at the following links:
- The opening credits of Another World
- The closing credits of Another World
- History of the announcements of Another World
- Another World in American television listings
[edit] Notable AW alumni
[edit] Before they were stars
Many well-known film and television actors and celebrities appeared on the serial before their big break, including:
- Christine Baranski (Beverly Tucker)
- Theodore Bikel (Henry Davenport)
- Charles Durning (Gil McGowan)
- Faith Ford (Julia Shearer)
- Morgan Freeman (Roy Bingham)
- Joanna Going (Lisa Grady)
- Kelsey Grammer (Dr. Canard)
- Jackee Harry (Lily Mason)
- Anne Heche (Marley Hudson / Vicky Hudson)
- Audra Lindley (Liz Matthews)
- Ray Liotta (Joey Perrini)
- Lindsay Lohan (Alli Fowler)
- Nancy Marchand (Irene Kimbalt / Therrese Lamonte)
- Rue McClanahan (Caroline Johnson)
- Julian McMahon (Ian Rain)
- Luke Perry (Kenny)
- Brad Pitt (Chris)
- Ving Rhames (Czaja Carnek)
- Kim Rhodes (Cynthia 'Cindy' Brooke Harrison)
- Eric Roberts (Ted Bancroft)
- Howard E. Rollins, Jr. (Ed Harding)
- Kyra Sedgwick (Julia Shearer)
- Ted Shackelford (Ray Gordon)
- Susan Sullivan (Lenore Moore Curtin Delaney)
- Dolph Sweet (Gil McGowan)
- Janine Turner (Patricia Kirkland)
[edit] While they were stars
Many well-known celebrities made cameo appearances on the serial, including:
- Dick Cavett (Oliver Twist (a magician))
- Jose Ferrer (attorney Reuben Marino)
- Crystal Gayle (herself)
- Donna Hanover (a judge during one of Vicky's trials)
- Liberace (himself)
- Joan Rivers (Meredith Dunston)
- Al Roker (himself)
- Ann Sheridan (Kathryn Corning; after a successful movie career, Sheridan acted on AW)
- Betty White (Brenda Barlowe)
[edit] AW Emmy wins
Another World has won fifteen Daytime Emmy Awards.
- 1975: Harding Lemay, Outstanding Writing
- 1976: Outstanding Drama Series
- 1978: Laurie Heineman, Outstanding Actress (she was the first actress to play Sharlene Frame)
- 1979: Irene Dailey, Outstanding Actress (Liz Matthews)
- 1980: Douglass Watson, Outstanding Actor (Mackenzie Cory)
- 1981: Douglass Watson, Outstanding Actor (Mackenzie Cory)
- 1986: Ellen Wheeler, Outstanding Ingenue (Marley/Vicky Love)
- 1989: Margarita Delgado and Charles Schoonmaker, Outstanding Costume Design
- 1990: Margarita Delgado and Charles Schoonmaker, Outstanding Costume Design
- 1990: Angel De Angelis, Outstanding Hairstyling (head hairstylist)
- 1991: Anne Heche, Outstanding Younger Actress (Marley/Vicky Hudson)
- 1992: Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team
- 1993: Linda Dano, Outstanding Actress (Felicia Gallant)
- 1996: Charles Keating, Outstanding Lead Actor (Carl Hutchins)
- 1996: Anna Kathryn Holbrook, Outstanding Supporting Actress (Sharlene Frame)
[edit] Head Writers/Executive Producers of Another World
| Head writer(s) | Years | Executive producer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Irna Phillips with William J. Bell | 1964 – 1965 | Allen Potter |
| James Lipton | 1965 | Doris Quinlan |
| Agnes Nixon | 1965 – 1968 | Allen Potter; Charles Fisher; Paul Robert; Mary Harris |
| Robert Cenedella | 1968 – 1971 | Mary Harris; Lyle B. Hill |
| Harding Lemay | 1971 – 1979 | Paul Rauch |
| Tom King | 1979 | Paul Rauch |
| Tom King and Robert Soderberg | 1979 – 1980 | Paul Rauch |
| L. Virginia Browne | 1980 – 1982 | Paul Rauch |
| Robert Soderberg | 1982 | Paul Rauch |
| Robert Soderberg and Dorothy Ann Purser | 1983 | Paul Rauch |
| Dorothy Ann Purser | 1983 – 1984 | Rauch; Allen Potter |
| Richard Culliton | 1984 | Stephen Schenkel |
| Richard Culliton and Gary Tomlin | 1984 – 1985 | Stephen Schenkel |
| Gary Tomlin | 1985 | Stephen Schenkel |
| Sam Hall and Gillian Spencer | 1985 – 1986 | Stephen Schenkel; John Whitesell |
| Margaret DePriest | 1986 – 1988 | John Whitesell |
| Sheri Anderson | 1988 | John Whitesell; Michael Laibson |
| Harding Lemay | 1988 | Michael Laibson |
| Donna Swajeski | 1988 – 1992 | Michael Laibson |
| Peggy Sloane | 1992 – 1994 | Laibson; Terri Guarnieri; John Valente |
| Carolyn Culliton | 1994 – 1995 | John Valente; Jill Farren Phelps |
| Tom King and Craig Carlson | 1995 – 1996 | Jill Farren Phelps |
| Margaret DePriest | 1996 – 1997 | Phelps; Charlotte Savitz |
| Elizabeth Page, Tom King, and Craig Carlson | 1997 | Charlotte Savitz |
| Tom King and Craig Carlson | 1997 | Charlotte Savitz |
| Michael Malone | 1997 | Charlotte Savitz |
| Richard Culliton | 1997 – 1998 | Charlotte Savitz |
| Richard Culliton and Jean Passanante | 1998 | Charlotte Savitz |
| Jean Passanante | 1998 | Charlotte Savitz |
| Leah Laiman and Jean Passanante | 1998 – 1999 | Charlotte Savitz; Christopher Goutman |
[edit] External Links
- Another World Fan Page
- Another World at the Internet Movie Database
- AW episodes from AOL Video's P&G Classic Soaps
- SOAPnet: AW
- TV Tome: AW
- World of Soap Themes: AW multimedia page (registration required)
- AW Groups
